Tit For Tat Chapter 25
At the end of the year, I moved out of my parents’ house.
Not to live with anyone, and not out of spite.
I bought my own apartment on the far side of the Charles River.
High floor, floor-to-ceiling windows. On clear days, I could see the lights on the distant bridges.
My parents both came on moving day.
My mother did a sweep of the kitchen, checking the oven and the smoke alarm, then asked if it would be too quiet living alone.
I said no.
She put the last plate in the cupboard and suddenly stopped.
“Evelyn, the day the Bennetts broke off the engagement, your father and I panicked.”
“The company was barely holding on, and we were terrified you wouldn’t survive the gossip.”
“When Adrian showed up so dramatically, we were moved by it too.”
“We thought any man willing to smash glass and kneel in the rain for you would cherish you forever.”
My hands paused for a second.
My mother’s voice thickened.
“Afterward, when you were with him, you were always handling things for his family, always telling us you were fine.”
“And I actually believed you.”
“It wasn’t until that email went out that I realized he’d always treated saving you as proof that he owned you.”
I placed a book on the shelf.
“Mom, it’s over.”
“Just because it’s over doesn’t mean we don’t owe you an apology.”
Her eyes reddened.
“We were so eager to find a protector for you that we forgot to ask if that’s what you needed. We forgot to tell you that even if no man came to get you, you could still come home.”
I walked over and hugged her.
Her shoulders trembled lightly.
I didn’t cry.
I had cried enough in the rain three years ago.
Now, more than anything, I just wanted to get my new home in order.